Job & Living
The managing partner of DSC Legal, lawyer and notary Dr Peter Diedrich, acting chairman of the German association "Job & Living" e.V. (Deutscher Verband "Job & Wohnen" e.V.) and former chairman of the legal committee of Germany's largest association for small and medium-sized enterprises (Der Mittelstand – BVMW e.V.), launched an SME initiative in 2018 under the German brand name "Job & Wohnen" ("Job & Living").
The pilot project “Havelschanze” in Berlin-Spandau, comprising 112 flats, a childcare centre and a mixed-use community building, is currently under construction and is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2027. The project owner is Erste Mitarbeiterwohnungsbaugenossenschaft “Job & Wohnen” Berlin eG. The building plot covers 6,400 m² and is secured in the land register by a 90-year hereditary building right (Erbbaurecht) granted by the State of Berlin. The energy standard corresponds to Efficiency House Level 40 Renewable Energies (EE) (incl. heat pumps, PV systems, green roofs and urban gardening). The project includes a modern mobility concept with e-bikes and charging infrastructure, as well as heat supply contracting. In addition, there are numerous communal areas: a laundry room, co-working area, communal café and a neighbourhood workshop.
The pilot project is financed by construction cost subsidies from member companies (EUR 675.00/m² of living space), promotional loans from IBB, capital market loans and subsidies from KfW.
Rents are capped at an initial EUR 7.00/m² (subsidy model 1) or EUR 11.50/m² (subsidy model 3) for the 99 occupancy-restricted social housing units and around EUR 16.50 for the remaining privately financed flats.
On 5 November 2025, the foundation stone was laid in the presence of the Mayor of Spandau, Mr Frank Bewig, and the District Building Councillor, Mr Thorsten Schatz.
The location of the site, the layout of the buildings and the construction progress made by the end of November 2025 can be clearly seen in a video of the construction site.
Follow-up projects are already being planned at other locations in Germany, with the aim of enabling small and medium-sized enterprises to offer urgently sought-after employees not only a job but also affordable housing.
The "Job & Living" concept was one of the three best future projects out of a total of over 70 concepts submitted in the fields of urban development, mobility, environment & climate, and culture & community at the first Neustart Berlin Conference – a joint initiative of Tagesspiegel, Berliner Morgenpost and EUREF Campus, supported by Radioeins and Schneider Electric, which took place on 21 November 2025 at the EUREF Campus in the Gasometer.
Subsequently, the Tagesspiegel and Berliner Morgenpost newspapers reported in detail on the "Job & Living" concept and the Havelschanze pilot project:
The "Job & Living" concept was featured in the European Real Estate Brand Book 2020 under the heading "Corporate Social Responsibility". The article can be downloaded here.
Another article on the "Job & Living" concept was published in the issue 1/2021 of the magazine "Stadt + Gemeinde Digital", p. 43-45 (only in German), which is available for download here.
The pilot project in Berlin-Spandau is featured in an article of FOCUS magazine, issue 6, volume 2021 (only in German), which can be downloaded here.
An article about the pilot project in Berlin-Spandau was also published in the Berliner Morgenpost newspaper in May 2021, which is available here.
"Job und Wohnen im Doppelpack", an article published in the magazine "Berliner Wirtschaft" (issue 05/2021), which is available here (only in German).
Here you can find some additional articles, published in "Der Mittelstand", issue 6/2020, p.12-13 and 76-77 (only in German):
Mittelstands-Wohnungsbauprojekt bekommt Grundstück in Berlin
Further information on the SME initiative "Job & Living" can be found on the following websites: